Documentary | 01 February 2005

Mark Moseley, Corey Burton, Dee Bradley Baker

Actors impersonating Walt Disney and several of his key artists read partial transcripts of discussions that took place during the creation of the film, between 1937 and 1940. Their narration is juxtaposed with the finished film and insets of relevant sketches, stills, rough animation, etc. Also included are storyboards and sketches for two deleted sequences. In "Two Leaves," the last two leaves clinging to an autumn tree speculate about their ultimate fate. Although the leaves provide a poignant moment in the book, they only distract the audience from the main story arc. Similarly, a scene of Bambi getting tangled up in a reed and disturbing a wood mouse's nest is amusing, but does nothing to further the plot. And listeners will agree Walt was wise to cut a very forgettable song about being twitterpated. It all adds up to a beautiful package that can only deepen the viewer's appreciation of the most lyrical of Walt Disney's animated features.